by Donna Johnson on August 29, 2008
Who Stole My Hair, Makeup and Teleprompter??!
I recently invested in a laptop with a webcam. I didn’t know it was there until I got it and my husband noticed it. Since I’m married to a professional photographer and videographer, I am used to spending most of my time in front of the camera. With a teleprompter. And with hair and makeup. And it’s always a much better camera than this one, as you know if you’ve enjoyed any of the other videos at this blog. But since I have the most fun when I’m laughing at myself, I thought I’d share this quick glimpse into early morning life in the Indie Business household. I’m nuts, I know.
What do you think? Is this the best break you’ve had all day from the politics-heavy stuff you’re seeing on everyone else’s blog today?! Enjoy!
by Donna Johnson on August 26, 2008
I am fascinated by attorneys like me who pursue non-traditional career paths. One such person is Tax Girl. Her blog is funny and interesting. Subscribe to it so you can learn stuff you need to know about taxes. Tax Girl has a category at her blog called Getting To Know You. Since I can’t think of a better title for this category at my blog, I’m borrowing Tax Girl’s.
In my Getting To Know You column, I’m going to share with you ten interesting things about someone I know personally and professionally. Let’s begin. My first Getting To Know You column features Jamila White. That’s me and Jamila in a photo taken by fellow Indie and IBN member Anne-Marie Faiola while we were on Capitol Hill earlier this month with Lela Barker and Kayla Fioravanti.
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by Donna Johnson on August 25, 2008
In life, we sometimes pursue dreams that never materialize. A business that never launches. A relationship that fizzles out before it really starts. A job interview that goes nowhere. Those stubborn 10 (or 50) pounds that won’t seem to go away. A marriage that, despite your best efforts, still ends in divorce. Why do these things happen? Are we failures? Did something happen in the womb or some dark and faraway place that we can’t remember? Are the stars lined up against us? Are we living in the wrong century?
Some or all of those things may be true, but do you really want to waste time analyzing to death the whys and wherefores, when you could simply recognize the problem and start eliminating it, even before you know why it’s there? Come, let us reason (briefly) together.
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by Donna Johnson on August 23, 2008
Indie Finds Niche, Launches New Business In 147 Days
On August 20, Penny Tallent, one of my clients and a member of the Indie Beauty Network, launched Zularis Naturals. Penny’s story is inspiring. No matter where you are in your life, and no matter what health challenges, family obligations or traditional jobs you have, Penny proves that you can own a brand of your own.
Penny is a 39-year old Massachusetts mother of 3 girls, ages 17, 10 and 6. She has been married to her husband, Rick, for 11 years. Penny has worked as a nurse 3 nights a week on the 11:00PM to 7:00AM shift for nearly 17 years, so she gets very little sleep. Amazingly, she launched Zularis Naturals, from soup to nuts in just 147 days while working all night 3 days a week and being at home (and awake) with her children during the summer months. She did all of this while managing a significant health related challenge. I asked this amazing Indie Business Owner to share the milestones, high points and low points of the process she went through to make Zularis Naturals a reality.
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by Donna Johnson on August 20, 2008
5 Actions That Keep Blogging Simple And Fun
I‘m helping a client launch a blog this week so I’m answering a lot of questions. While each one has a different slant, there is one central theme: Am I doing this right? Unfortunately, there’s really no right or wrong way to answer that question.
I’ve been blogging now since 2005 and I’ve helped a lot of people launch blogs. One thing that’s universally true is that no one feels comfortable when they first start blogging. But for most people, blogging eventually becomes second nature with practice and consistency. One way to help make that happen is to commit to these five actions that keep blogging simple and fun.
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by Donna Johnson on August 18, 2008
Shame On You If You Pull the Ladder Up After You
Earlier this month, while I was on Capitol Hill and at the FDA advocating Indie Beauty Network member positions against the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, I was accompanied by 4 amazing women. Each has at least one successful and profitable business, yet, she took time away from her rice bowl to join me in a fight that will positively impact business owners around the country for years to come.
Kayla Fioravanti, Anne-Marie Faiola, Lela Barker and Jamila White are screaming examples of women who are not so wrapped up in their own success stories that they abandon a moral obligation to pave the way for others to enjoy the same opportunities they have.
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